The early years of black radio broadcasting in South Africa : a critical reflection on the making of Ukhozi FM

The history of black radio in South Africa demonstrates the legacy of colonialism, but also exhibits the performance of novel identities in the 'modem' state. In this dissertation I look at the early years of black radio in South Africa circa 1940-1944, focussing primarily on the Zulu language service. The service was originally broadcasted on the Afrikaans and English radio stations in South Africa. It was 3 minutes in length at its inception in 1940 and was gradually extended to 30 minutes by September of 1942. Based on the collection of archival material and newspaper clippings I look at three colonial figures that were active in the early years of native radio, namely: Hugh Tracey, who was the initiator of broadcasts in Zulu, K. E. Masinga, who presented the first shows in the Zulu service, and The Zulu Radio Choir, who were mentioned as part of the first groups to be recorded for the Zulu radio service (Tracey 1948). All three of these stakeholders have played a foundational role in the establishment of the radio archive in South Africa. Using discourse analysis and Judith Butler's performativity theory (1988; 1990; 1999), I trace the discursive interactions of these stakeholders-an area where 'African tradition' meets 'colonial modernity' (Mudirnbe 1988). I then proceed to show how their performative acts reveal multi-layered processes of redefinition and negotiation. A recurring thread in the entire dissertation is a quest to represent Africa and its people's in new ways that challenge colonial legacies.

Reference:

Mhlambi, T. 2008. The early years of black radio broadcasting in South Africa : a critical reflection on the making of Ukhozi FM. University of Cape Town.